Adventures at Shelter 17
by Puppetjax
Summary: This fan-made season contains the Pound Puppies performing various exciting new missions including getting pups adopted and much more, while having thrilling adventures along the way.
1. Music to my Ears

A kid walked amidst the large mass of other students trying to get to their classes. He was trying to go without without disrupting, but he needed to squeeze his way past numerous crowds. People pushed and shoved past him. It was starting to become painful. Luckily, he made it to his class. He opened the door and walked inside.

Inside, the whole class, including the teacher, were staring directly at him, making him feel uncomfortable. "Asher, this is your fourth tardy this week!" The teacher said to him. "But Mr. Wilson, I can explain!" He said back. "I'm sure you can, but if you get one more, I will have to notify your parents." Mr. Wilson stated. Asher sighed and walked off. "Now, go set up your things. We're waiting for you." "Yes, sir." He replied.

He walked into a closet, and came out with a music stand, a chair, and an instrument case. He set the chair down and the music stand right in front of it. He sat down, opened the case, and removed the instrument that was inside.

Lucky and a puppy were watching through a window. "Is that him, Mr. Lucky Is that my perfect person?" She asked. "It sure is, Aurum." He said happily to her. "But, what's he doing?" She asked. "Well, it looks like he's putting his instrument together." Lucky continued. "The FKD says he's an amazing French horn player! He plays for one of the top bands in the state!" "I can't wait! I'll finally have a friend that loves music just as much as I do!" Aurum exclaimed. "When can I meet him?" She asked. "Well, he's been wanting a puppy for a long time, and his mother has finally agreed that if he's responsible enough, she will get one for him." He answered. Aurum grew a little disappointed. "Sounds like it isn't going too well, then." She said quietly. "Don't worry, kid. Asher seems like a smart person with a lot of potential. In the end, it'll all work out. You'll see." He replied.

As the rest of the band waited for Asher to set up, Mr. Wilson walked up to the front of the room. "All right, class. Take out your music for 'Eye of the Storm.'" He said. The entire class placed a sheet of music on their stands. "Now, instruments up!" He commanded. They all put their instruments up to their lips. "Okay, from the top, everyone! And 1, 2, 3, 4!" He counted. The band then started playing. It was sounding pleasant and the band was playing it pretty much perfectly. Aurum was even smiling and nodding her head along. The band finished the song. "That was lovely! It sounded wonderful!" Said Aurum excitedly. They suddenly heard stern statements by the teacher. "Clarinets, you were too quiet! Tubas, you were too loud!" He said.

While he was talking, a trumpet player leaned towards Asher. "Way to mess the whole song up, slacker!" He said. A tuba player joined him. "Yeah. What should I expect from the only French horn player in the whole band? You really suck." He said. "French horn players are such dorks." Replied the trumpet player. "If you really want to help the band, maybe you shouldn't even play next time." Mr. Wilson gave his last comment. "And saxophones, bring out that loud volume part more!" He said. "Alright, let's play it again, this time applying what I just told you." He counted off the song again, and they all started playing again, except for Asher. He just sat there with a sad expression on his face. At the end of the song, Mr. Wilson looked at Asher with a questioning look. "Asher, why didn't you play? You're the only one on that part; we need you!" He asked. "Well, you see, it was because..." Asher started to explain. He was interrupted by the school bell.

The entire class rushed to put their stuff away and leave, pushing Asher along as well. Lucky and Aurum were quick to hide and stay out of sight. It was the end of the day, so everybody at the school headed back home. Lucky and Aurum headed back to the pound.

When they got back, the other four Pound Puppies were there to greet them. "So, how did it go?" Asked Cookie. "Did you find Aurum's person?" Added Strudel. "We did, but there's something wrong." Lucky responded. "What is it, what happened?" Asked Squirt. "Well, you know how Asher's parents will only get him a puppy if he proves to be responsible enough to get one? Well, apparently, he's known for being tardy a lot, and the next time, they're going to tell his parents. I'm afraid something like this could prevent Aurum's adoption." Explained Lucky. "Well, maybe we just need to find out why he's late." Suggested Cookie. "Good idea. I'll take Aurum back to the school tomorrow. Maybe we can investigate." Said Lucky.

The next day, Lucky and Aurum arrived at the school just before Asher's band class. There was nobody in the halls. "Okay. When the bell rings, look for Asher." Explained Lucky. Before Aurum got to respond, they both heard ringing echo all around them. They quickly hid outside while the whole building immediately became overcrowded with students. "Do you see him?" Asked Lucky. "Look!" Shouted Aurum. She pointed in front of them, and there was Asher. He was walking around slowly, seemingly toward his next class. They both followed him until he did something weird.

Asher sat down against the wall of a building and took out what appeared to be a journal and began writing in it. They both became very confused. They watched him continue to write in it until another bell rang. He then closed it, quickly put it in his pocket, and looked around in all directions, almost as if he was trying to avoid something. After that, he ran to his next class. Lucky and Aurum followed. It was difficult avoiding sight of everyone, but once they finally arrived at his classroom, they saw something they didn't like.

"No, please give me one more chance." Said Asher to his teacher. "I wish I could, but you've been tardy too many times to tolerate." Said Mr. Wilson while he picked up the phone on his desk. Asher sadly walked away to set up his things. "Oh, no. If his parents find out, he won't be allowed to adopt you!" Lucky explained worriedly. "So, I won't get adopted?" Asked Aurum, concerned. "Don't worry. We can prevent that. Let's just wait and see what happens." Responded Lucky.

Asher's band finished another song. The same tuba player from earlier grabbed his chair and turned it around. "Wow, even the teacher thinks you're pathetic!" He said. The trumpet player joined. "And your own parents soon will, too!" He responded. They both laughed. "Well at least I sounded decent!" Replied Asher, who immediately cringed, acknowledging that he wanted to come up with a good response, but failed. The tuba player stood up. "Are you getting all aggressive on us?" He asked in a hostile manner. "No. I was just..." Asher was interrupted when his French horn was confiscated right out of his hands by the trumpet player. "Let's make sure of that." He said, surrounding him.

The bell suddenly rang, and their conversation ended. Because band was his last class, he turned to head home. But first, he sat by the end of the building to write in his journal again. Lucky and Aurum watched him. When he finally got back up, Aurum pointed to something. "Look!" She shouted. Something had dropped from Asher's backpack. They ran up to it. It was his journal. "Oh no. We need to give this back to him!" Suggested Aurum. "Hold on, kid. We will, but not before we have a quick investigation." Lucky replied. They opened it and began to read, and what they found inside was heartbreaking.

Most pages were filled with tally marks, covering the sheets. On others, they found journal entries. The most recent one read "My insult tally recently exceeded 300. I will try again to ask, but I know no one can hear me. I wish for a friend. That's all I ask." Every single entry had those last two sentences in it. On the few final pages, they found pages of blank sheet music, partly occupied with handwritten music notation. It was a composition. "Well I'll be." Lucky sighed. Lucky picked it up and looked around for Asher. They spotted him far away, almost at the other end of the school. They ran after him.

He stopped in front of a pickup lane and sat down. He reached into his backpack, but he couldn't find what he was looking for. He frantically searched each pocket, but nothing turned up. Meanwhile, just around the corner, Aurum had Asher's journal next to her. "What's going on, Lucky?" She asked. "You're getting ready to meet your perfect person." He responded happily. He placed a silver tag on her collar. "Once a Pound Puppy, always a Pound Puppy." He said. "Now go return his journal and make him happy." Aurum picked it up and ran toward Asher.

Asher began to hear muffled barking. He took a break from looking through his backpack and saw a golden-coated puppy run toward him with his journal. Aurum set it down in front of him. "My journal! Where did you come from?" He happily asked her. She barked and started panting playfully. Asher moved closer to her. Asher gently stroked her on the head, to thank her for returning his journal. He sat down and began writing, joyfully. Then, out of seemingly absolutely nowhere, the tuba player and the trumpet player emerged from the same corner Aurum came from. They startled Asher when they walked in front of them. Aurum ran to Asher's side.

"Well, well, well. What is this?" One asked. "Go away." Asher commanded timidly. "Not before we see what this nuisance is scribbling." Responded the other. He began reaching for his journal. Aurum jumped in front of his hand and growled angrily at him. He retracted his arm and chortled. "And who's this?" He asked amusingly. He was smiling. The other one kicked her out of the way. She whimpered. "Stop it!" Asher yelled. "I'll do what I want." He responded. The other one proceeded to pick her up by the tail. Reacting to such cruelty, Asher quickly stood up and pushed him to yank her out of his hands. Asher put her down, but she remained close to him. "You're gonna regret that." He said. He grabbed Asher's journal directly from him and began tearing pages from it, laughing hysterically. Asher cringed. He couldn't bear the sight of it. He saw him getting awfully close to the music in the back. The tuba player was laughing the while it was going on, also.

The trumpet player finally tore the composition out. Asher gasped in surprise; it had taken him years to create it. Aurum glanced at Asher, only to see him on the ground, staring at the crumpled pages of the thing he had sacrificed so much for. Aurum grew angry and turned toward the others. She barked as loudly as she could. They began to back up, but not wanting to admit to themselves they were being scared by a puppy. Before they knew what was happening, they tripped over the curb and fell into a dirty puddle of water on the side of the street.

"What a stupid kid." He said as they both got up and walked away quickly. Aurum looked back. She saw Asher gathering the pages of what he could find. Realizing that it was pointless, he sighed and kneeled back down. Aurum whimpered, as if she felt the same sadness. They sat together. "Thank you for being my friend." Said Asher. Aurum smiled. So did Lucky, proudly watching from across the sidewalk. He winked at her.

A car suddenly drove up to him in the pickup lane nearby. Asher saw it, and quickly hid Aurum in his backpack. With a rather worried expression, he slowly got in the car. Before driving off, they heard the driver say something to Asher. "Your mother got a phone call from the school. She says she has something she wants to discuss with you." They proceeded to exit the lane. "Uh oh." Lucky sighed. Lucky raced after the car. He was barely able to keep up.

Lucky finally arrived at where he believed the car was headed. He arrived in time to barely see Asher at his house, closing the front door behind him after he walked inside. He hurried to the window. Inside, he saw Asher, seated on a sofa across from his mother. His backpack was next to him. His mother began to speak. "Asher, you know what I told you. Unfortunately, I was informed about your behavior at school. I'm very disappointed in you. And I cannot allow you to adopt a puppy, like you wanted." She said. Both Lucky and Asher were suddenly stricken with failure.

Just then, Aurum jumped out of Asher's backpack. "Where did that come from, Asher?" His mother asked in surprise. "Well, I found her, and..." He started. His mother interrupted. "I can't believe you would do something like that without my permission! I'm taking her to the pound. Meanwhile, you'll talk with your father about your punishment." She said loudly. She stepped toward Aurum to take her, but Asher stepped in front of her. "No, mom." He responded.

He picked her up and held her. "I took her because she actually found me. I was being bullied by these kids on our band, and..." Asher started to tear up. "And, she saved me. She was the only friend I ever had." He finished. His mother looked at Aurum one last time. She realized she felt a little guilty for taking her away from him, despite they obviously needed each other. She sighed. "Never mind, Asher. I'm sorry I got mad. I had no idea; and I'm not going to the pound. You obviously found the right choice of friend." She said happily to him. Asher and Aurum smiled at each other. "Mom, that's music to my ears." He said.

Asher and Aurum headed out of the room together. On the way out, Aurum caught a glimpse of Lucky. She grinned to him. Lucky let out a sigh of relief and left the house, ready to return to the pound to report on another job well done.


	2. A Puppy for Simon

"Who's a good girl?" Simon's heard that phrase more times than he can handle. With every day, watching his brother, Benji, and his sister, Kaylee, play with their new pups, he became gradually sadder, lonelier, and more annoyed. Only about a month ago, his mom made a promise to get everyone puppies, but Simon believes that his mother isn't holding her bargain.

"Woo Woo! Honk, honk!" Kaylee stormed through the doorway, followed by Camelia. Camelia barked happily and chased her playfully wherever she went. Simon really couldn't believe that her fire-engine phase has kept up this long. "Kaylee, please. Take this nonsense somewhere else." He demanded. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her right then. As she was leaving, something struck Simon in the head. Annoyed, he picked it up to see what it was. It was a red rubber ball. He suddenly found Poopsie try to take it from his hand. She was playfully growling and pulling. He finally threw it back where it came from. Benji caught it and apologized. "Sorry, Simon!" He shouted. He left as quickly as he came. The only thing his frequent encounters with his siblings and their pups do is make him more depressed each time.

"When can I finally get my puppy, mom?" He finally decided to ask her. However, she responded with the same answer every time. "I've already told you, Simon. We just don't have time to deal with another new dog right now." "But mom, you said you'd give everyone a puppy, including me." He reminded her. "I know I did, and you still can, just not anytime soon, and certainly not now." His mom finished the conversation.

Simon really thought his mom was lying. It seemed like forever ago that she told him that for the first time. He became upset and decided to go to Shelter 17, the closest local dog pound, himself. He hurriedly got on his bike and left as soon as he could, happy to get away from the house for a little bit.

He arrived in about ten minutes. He parked his bike and looked around the empty pound. He ran over to the kennels. He was hoping for the small chance that there was a puppy waiting for him there, but the only dog visible in the cage was an adult. He sighed. "It doesn't look like I'll be getting a puppy anytime soon, after all." He said sadly. The dog looked up at him; he recognized the boy. He sadly walked back to his bike, but he ran into someone along the way.

"What? A teenager? Don't you have friends to endlessly text or something?" The man snapped. "Oh, sorry, sir." He said and he ran back to his bike. "Gee, Mr. McLeish. I don't think he was any harm. He was just looking for a puppy." Said Olaf. "I don't care. They're all the same." Mr. McLeish walked away before he could say anything else. Lucky, having seen the whole thing, went downstairs as soon as all three were gone. Meanwhile, a puppy was watching from just outside the gates.

Lucky hurried and told everyone about what he witnessed. They suddenly realized they forgot about that family. "So, what do we do, Lucky?" Asked Strudel. "What we have to. We need to find Simon a puppy. He's spent too long waiting for one. Now, it's time we take initiative." "But where do we even start?" Asked Cookie. "Well, it won't be easy, but we'll have to go out and see what we can find." Answered Lucky.

About five minutes later, a brown puppy appeared under the pound. "Look who I found outside! The FKD says she is Simon's perfect match!" Said Strudel, showing the puppy to the rest of the Pound Puppies. "Hi, guys. I'm Penny!" She said. "Wow, that was easy." Responded Lucky, surprised. "Well, hi, there. I'm Cookie. So, what brings you to Shelter 17?" She asked. "Well, there was a bit of a problem with this human, and, long story short, I really need to find somewhere I can stay, forever, and fast!" She explained quickly.

"Well, if you're looking for a place to live, perhaps you will enjoy living with your perfect human!" Suggested Strudel. "Well, I think that sounds wonderful!" Penny exclaimed. He'd care for me, and we'd go on frequent walks, and we'd both make each other happy! But..." "Well, go on." Urged Cookie. "But, I don't think Gracie will like that." She finished. "And who is this Gracie?" Asked Squirt, a little rudely. "Oh, my owner." Said Penny very nonchalantly.

"What!?" All five Pound Puppies shouted." "Well, if you already have an owner, how come you're trying to get another one? Is one not good enough for you or something!" Asked Niblet. "No, it's just that Gracie and I never do any of that stuff together. I hate living with her. That's why I came here." Penny explained. "Well, luckily, we can take you to your perfect human right away. Come on." Commanded Lucky. Penny and the other Pound Puppies followed him out of the pound and into the city.

On the way, Lucky heard someone approaching them close by. "Quick, everyone. Hide!" Shouted Lucky. They all ran into an alleyway. A few seconds later, they discovered that it was actually Simon and his family. His other two siblings had their puppies on leashes, happily walking them along. They all passed them. "And then, when I got there, there weren't any puppies!" Simon explained to his mother. "Well, even if there were, you still wouldn't be able to get one. I already told you." His mother replied sternly. "I know; it's just that..." Simon began his sentence, but stopped when he heard a high-pitched bark in front of him. Simon looked around, and found the rest of his family on a nearby bench next to a building. He looked in front of him.

What he found was a puppy; one unlike any other he's ever seen. She was gazing up at him, smiling. Simon grew really happy and picked her up with astonishment. "Well, hi! Where did you come from?" He asked. Just then, a small girl, who Simon guessed she was around eight, marched up to him, angrily. She snatched Penny straight from out of Simon's arms. "What are you doing with my dog!?" She asked in an annoying squeaky voice. "What? She's not yours!" Simon angrily replied. "Yes she is! This is my dog!" She answered obnoxiously. Simon turned to his mother. "Mom! I found a puppy, but that girl took her from me. Make her give her back!" He shouted. "What? No! You can't have a puppy. She can have her." His mother replied, not even really understanding what was going on. Simon became disappointed. He realized it was foolish to consider his mother would help. The girl blew a raspberry at him, turned around, and walked away; Penny desperately reaching for Simon, trying to escape her tight grip choking her.

"Well that was certainly an unexpected development! Now what are we gonna do, huh, Lucky?" Asked Niblet. "We need to follow her and figure things out. Cookie, Strudel, stay behind and watch Simon. The rest of you, come with me." Lucky commanded. Cookie and Strudel ran out of the alleyway and began pursuing Kaylee, Benji, and Simon. Lucky, Squirt, and Niblet began running after the girl. They stopped when they saw her a little ways away from them, on the next block.

"Mommy, my puppy got away again. She was being very bad!" Shouted the girl. Next to her stood a large woman barely paying any attention to her. "That's nice, Gracie. Now, let's go home." Her mother replied back. Lucky and the others followed her. A while later, they were lead to a small single-story apartment building. The three of them followed them around the other side of the building until they spotted them through a window. Gracie walked in, still carrying Penny. She went straight for what appeared to be her room. They followed her and looked through the window.

"You stay in here in time-out for being a bad doggy." Shouted Gracie suddenly. She then shut off all the lights. She headed out, shutting and locking the door. Penny sat there, in the dark. She began to whimper. "We need to get her out of there, and fast." Urged Lucky. With Niblet's help, Lucky was able to slide the window open. Penny turned to look at them. "Come on, kid. Let's go." He whispered. Penny hurried over to them. Lucky reached into the room, grabbed her paw, and attempted to pull her up. They heard the doorknob rattle. "Hurry up!" Yelled Squirt. Penny finally made it out of the window. The door opened, and all four sprinted away. Gracie looked around the empty room, noticing the open window. She grew really infuriated. "Mom!" She screamed.

Meanwhile, Cookie and Strudel were keeping a close eye on Simon and his family. Simon was sitting gloomily, watching his siblings and their pups frolic with one another. They eventually made their way to the park, where their mother decided to stay for a while. She took out a book and started reading, while the two youngest kids ran around. Simon sat next to his mother. "Aren't you going to play with your brother and sister?" His mom asked. "What's the point? I don't have a dog like everyone else." He answered.

Cookie and Strudel suddenly got a call from the other line, via their two-way headsets. "Hello?" Called Squirt. "Yes. What is it?" Responded Strudel. "We've got Penny. Where is Simon? Were gonna bring her directly to him. Lucky says he has a plan from there." He said. "We're at the park." She replied. The call ended.

A little later, Cookie and Strudel finally spotted Lucky, Squirt, Niblet, and Penny heading their way. When they finally met up, Cookie steered them in the direction of Simon and his family. All six crept toward them, trying to bring Penny as close to Simon as possible without his mother seeing. But then, Kaylee and Benji hurriedly ran back with their dogs. "Mom, we're tired!" Said Benji. "Okay. Let's stay for a couple more minutes. Then we'll go back home." Answered their mom. They both sat down next to Simon. They were just ahead of them. Lucky then suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Well, hey, I haven't seen you in a while." It was Poopsie. "Hey, Poopsie! Hey, Camelia!" Greeted Lucky. "Well what are you doing here?" Asked Camelia. "Both of you were lucky enough to both get adopted by the same family on the same day. However, one of your family members doesn't have anyone yet." Lucky answered. They all glanced at Simon. "Oh, yeah. Him. He seems nice, but he seems lonely." Said Poopsie. "Well, there's someone I want you two to meet." Said Lucky. Penny joined him next to the other two. "This is Penny. She will be the final addition to your family." Lucky explained. "Oh, boy! Are you getting adopted, too?" Asked Camelia. Penny nodded happily. "Go ahead, Penny. It's time." Said Lucky softly. He placed a silver tag on ner collar. "Once a Pound Puppy always a Pound Puppy." He said.

Penny ran out in front of Simon. She licked his leg, and he looked down. "Oh, hi!" He said happily. He picked her up. His mom looked at him in surprise. "Simon! Where on earth did you get that puppy?" She asked. Suddenly, Squirt shouted, "Uh oh, we've got company!"

Gracie was at the entrance of the park, appearing really angry. She ran toward Simon, who put Penny down. "I knew it! You stole my doggy!" She yelled. She reached for Penny, but she growled and backed away from her. "What? I didn't steal her. I found her." Insisted Simon. "Simon! Give this girl back her dog!" Commanded his mother. Simon stood up, and was forced to make a decision.

"No, mom." He began. "I don't believe that she's really this girl's dog. And, in addition, it's super obvious that she doesn't even like her." Now, Benji and Kaylee had even stopped what they were doing to watch the conversation. "Oh yeah? Well, put her down and let's see who she chooses! She will know a great owner when she sees one." She sassed. Simon placed Penny down without hesitation. He had complete faith in her. Penny looked at both carefully. She was afraid of choosing either. "Follow your heart." Whispered Lucky. She smiled.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Come here!" Shouted Gracie. Penny barked and ran to Simon's side. Simon smiled and looked down at her joyfully. "What!? What did you do to her!? Give my dog back!" She screamed. Simon's mother stood up. "Sorry, but I don't think she's your dog anymore." She said proudly. She picked Penny up and handed her to Simon. Penny licked him and Simon giggled. "You know what? Forget it! Take her. I don't even like dogs!" Shouted Gracie. She walked out of the park.

Simon's mom put her arm around him. "I'm sorry, son. The truth is; I didn't let you get a dog because I didn't think you were responsible enough yet. But now, it's obvious you are. Take good care of her." She explained. "Thanks mom. Now, let's go home." He suggested. All seven of them walked back to their house, while the Pound Puppies went back to the pound.


	3. Pound Puppies Unbound

It was an ordinary day at Shelter 17. Birds were chirping, and the sun was shining through the partly cloudy weather. Nothing was going on, and it did not at all look like a day in which something grand occurs. "Olaf!" Mr. McLeish bursted through the office doors. "Yes, Mr. McLeish?" He replied. "I think I left my copy of 'A Dog Catcher's Guide to the Universe' over by the dog kennel. Go fetch it, will you?" He asked. "But Mr. McLeish, aren't you supposed to be working on that ten-page report about the pound to the city council?" Olaf responded. "I can finish that later. Go get my book." He commanded. "Oh, yes, sir." Olaf replied. He ran to go get it. He found it where he said, but it had a big chunk bitten out of it. "Here you go, sir. But, it looks like one of the doggies had it for lunch." Said Olaf. "Oh, drats. Looks like I have to buy a new one." Mr. McLeish went back inside after he took the novel.

Olaf just stood outside. Suddenly, the gates opened. "Oh, looks like we have a new dog." Olaf muttered to himself. Ketchum drove through in his van, stepped out, and opened the back. He then took out a long-haired black and gray puppy and gave it to Olaf. Afterwards, he drove away swiftly and the gates closed. Olaf looked at the puppy. "Come on little guy. Let's get you into the kennel." He said. He walked over to it, opened it up, and placed him inside. He shut it and whistled while he walked away.

Lucky walked up to the new puppy. "Hey there, kid. Welcome to Shelter 17. I'm Lucky and we're the Pound Puppies." He explained. "I'm Apollo." The puppy said. "The Pound Puppies, huh? I heard you find humans for puppies like me!" He continued. "You are a smart one! Come, Apollo. Let's get you one, too." Strudel said. He ecstatically followed her and the rest of the Pound Puppies underground.

They walked to Strudel's lab, where she activated the machine that was in front of them. "Apollo, I present to you the Free Kid Database!" She explained. Apollo stood up excitedly. "This machine finds your perfect human match based on your likes and dislikes. Just tell it some of your favorite things." She continued. He did as he was told. "I like to look up at the stars at night; I like to visit planetariums," he started. The FKD immediately went to work.

Eventually, it found a person for him. "Niel, age 34." The FKD read. "Is that him?" Apollo asked. "It sure is." Lucky responded. "Well, when can I see him?" He asked again. "Well, is right now soon enough?" He told him. They all immediately followed Strudel out of the tunnel and into the street.

They were in the middle of walking down the path to Apollo's person's home. "Wait, so where exactly are we headed? This isn't where the FKD said Niel lived." Cookie asked in confusion. "Well, it's the middle of the day, and today is Monday." Lucky told her. "Yeah, so?" She responded. Strudel gave her more information. "I also picked up that Niel works as a mechanical engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This means that he is not at his home, but rather his place of profession."

They soon arrived at a massive outdoor site. It was completely crowded with people in blue uniforms. A very tall metal structure stood upright no more than a couple hundred feet in front of them. Suddenly, Apollo said something that got their attention. "Look, there he is!" He shouted. A man that was wearing a different kind of uniform stepped through some large doors. His clothes were white and bulky and he seemed to be carrying something in his arms. Everyone at the site made way for him as they cheered his name. "Go, Niel!" "You can do it!" He walked toward the tall structure with a proud smile on his face. People were even taking pictures of him.

Strudel looked at something gigantic laying against the structure. "No! There's no way! Is that a... a..." She stuttered and went completely speechless out of extreme excitement. "Strudel! What is it?" Lucky asked her, but she couldn't talk. Her mouth was open wide. They all watched as the news and the press storywriter walked up to Niel. "How do feel about the journey you are about to go on?" Asked a news reporter with a camera. "Nervous, but excited at the same time." He responded confidently. He then stepped inside the structure.

Now more excited than ever, Apollo couldn't wait any longer. He ran away towards Niel barking as loud as he could. He too went inside the structure. "Apollo, no! It isn't time yet!" Lucky yelled. Luckily, no one heard Apollo. All five Pound Puppies ran after him. They all went inside too. They found him, but it was too late to get off. The hatch that they used to enter was closed.

"I'm scared, Lucky. What is this?" Cookie asked him. "It's a rocket ship!" Blurted out Strudel suddenly. Everyone immediately became scared. "How do we get off?" Cookie asked frantically. "I have a crazy idea; possibly crazier than all of my other crazy ideas put together." He answered. "That's totally relieving." Reacted Squirt sarcastically. "We don't." Responded Lucky.

"What!?" Everyone shouted. "We're going to get Apollo with his perfect person." Lucky said to them. "But, Lucky, they're going to shoot us out of the earth, for crying out loud! Dogs don't belong in space!" Shouted Squirt half-angry. "It will all be fine. Just trust me." Lucky explained oddly calmly.

Suddenly, everything started to rumble. A loud voice was heard. "Ten." "Oh, no! The countdown has been initiated!" Shouted Strudel. "Nine." They spotted Niel at the front seated in a strangely oriented seat. All six of them went to the back and fit into a single large heavy-duty restraint. "Eight." "I've been on a lot of missions, but I have never done something like this before." Said Cookie terrified. "Seven." "Trust me, please." Lucky begged. "Six." "Maybe we can meet aliens! They'll give me space food and become our best friends!" Suggested Niblet. "Five." "Knock it off. This is serious business. Besides, there are no such things as aliens!" Snapped Squirt. "Four." "I gotta admit, I'm starting to regret running on here randomly." Said Apollo apologetically. "Three. Two. One. Booster ignition engaged." "Here we go." Said Strudel.

A sudden burst of extreme acceleration sent all six into a panic. They all screamed. This went on continuously for a few minutes. After which, they heard someone over an intercom. "Atmosphere exited. Permission to detach restraints granted." The second he said that, the Pound Puppies spotted Niblet on the ceiling. "Hi, guys!" He said. "What the? How did you get up there?" Squirt asked in confusion.

Suddenly, their restraints gave way, and everyone floated upwards. "What kind of sick joke is this?" Asked Cookie. "It's not a joke, Cookie. The severely reduced gravity plus the motion of this spacecraft render all of us weightless. Somehow even Niblet." Strudel explained. "I knew that." Replied Cookie quietly. "I hate to admit it, but this actually kinda fun." Squirt said. "This makes my tummy feel silly." Said Niblet giggling.

"Alright, everyone. We're here on a mission." He said. "Where's Apollo?" He looked over at a closed door leading to the cockpit where Niel was located. Apollo was looking through the window on it out the front window at the speckled emptiness. His eyes were big and he was in awe. "I can't believe I'm actually in outer space." He said a lot calmer than how he was actually feeling.

Lucky gathered everyone together, though it was not very easy. "Okay, everyone, here's the plan." He started. "Earlier, I overheard the intercom conversation telling Niel that this will be a 72-hour mission. He's up here to make repairs to a satellite they constructed and sent into orbit about a month ago. When we stop, Niel will go outside the ship to work on the satellite, and when he comes back in, he'll find you in his seat. He adopts you, and we all go back home." He finished. Acknowledging the plan, everyone withdrew any doubts or fears. "The only thing we need to do now is wait. It'll be a little while." Lucky said.

A few hours later, they finally heard the man on the intercom again. "You are now approaching the satellite. Initiate braking process." "We're almost there. Keep alert, everyone!" Commanded Lucky. They all did their best to swim through the ship to get together. Suddenly, the ship made a sudden halt, slamming the Pound Puppies and Apollo against the front wall. "Apparently, this braking process includes getting back in your seat." Said Cookie. "Well, an object in motion stays in motion." Shrugged Strudel. They all struggled to get off each other.

"Look, there's Niel!" Shouted Squirt. They slowly made their way to the door separating them from the cockpit. They all looked out of the window on it. They saw Niel, opening a large door supposedly leading to an airlock system. The door shut behind him and he carefully placed his space helmet on his head. Another door opened, revealing a tether cable attached to him as he floated off into the black void.

They gathered around another window and watched as Niel grabbed onto a large odd-looking contraption close by. "He's fixing the satellite. Now's our chance." Lucky said. He opened a door leading to the cockpit and pulled Apollo aside. "This is it. Just remember this: Once a Pound Puppy, always a Pound Puppy." Lucky said to him. He placed a silver tag on his collar and guided him through the door and onto a seat. Lucky quickly hurried out of the cockpit and back into the passenger area.

They waited for a couple of hours when they heard a door open faintly on the other side. The Pound Puppies watched Niel enter the ship again and remove his helmet. When he did, the first thing he saw was a puppy sitting on his seat. "What the? A dog?" He asked. "We never had any animal test subjects on board. We need to get you back to earth." He said to Apollo. But before he tried to seize him, he barked and looked at him with a happy smile. He jumped and Niel caught him. "Hey, you're kind of cute. I'm keeping you." He continued.

They all heard the intercom again. "You're back in the ship. I take it that you've fixed the satellite. Great work. Now, due to the low fuel level left, the only part of the ship returning to earth is the main cockpit. Initiate cockpit detachment process." Everyone in the back was shocked. "We're not going back?" Cookie asked in horror. "Now, calm down, everyone." Lucky told everyone. "We just need to figure out a way to get on that half of the ship without being detected."

Lucky opened the door quietly. Niel was facing the other direction. All five snuck on board, while Lucky closed the door behind them. Niel heard something behind him and turned to see what it was. He didn't see anything and turned back around. Apollo was in his lap.

They all heard a large noise from behind them. They noticed that the whole rest of the ship was gone. It was nowhere in sight. Suddenly they heard the voice again. "It appears that you've fixed the satellite faster than we had planned. Permission to retreat early granted." Niel and Apollo looked at each other in delight. Meanwhile, Lucky and the others strapped up for another bumpy ride. The ship returned into the atmosphere. The five Pound Puppies immediately learned that going back was a lot scarier than going up.

A couple hours later, they soon landed back on earth. Niel was the first to exit, along with Apollo, who was being carried by him. He was really excited. When he exited, there were numerous other workers waiting for him. They all cheered when he exited. The five Pound Puppies exited next. They were extremely careful to make sure no one saw them. They hurried back to the pound.

They soon got back after an exhausting mission. "Lucky. Let's never do that again." Suggested Squirt. "Don't worry. Nothing too out-of-this-world next time, but I'm not making any promises." Lucky replied. Suddenly, McLeish walked out of his office carrying a newspaper. "Olaf! Can you believe these headlines these days? Just look at this! Astronaut Returns With Mysterious Space Puppy! Ugh, what nonsense." He shouted. He retreated into his office, while the Pound Puppies got a pretty good laugh.


End file.
